toledoblade.com --

Preparing the elaborate dessert for the White House State Dinner Monday for Queen Elizabeth II made for a one-of-a-kind day for Executive Pastry Chef William Yosses.

"It was a wonderful day," the chef said in a phone interview yesterday morning when it was back to work as usual to prepare for another day's events.

The white-tie, five-course dinner hosted by President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush at the White House was among the highlights of the two-day official visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip to Washington.

Not only did the White House executive pastry chef, a Toledo native, orchestrate and prepare the seasonal dessert called Rose Blossoms, "the Queen requested a meeting with the staff at the end of the dinner and the President introduced us," said Mr. Yosses. She spoke to the pastry chef directly, shook his hand, and said "the dessert was wonderful."

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The dessert had a seasonal theme. "The primary theme was seasonality, springtime, and gardens, one of the Queen's pastimes. We used seasonal ingredients in making the desserts," he said of the fresh raspberries that were part of the Rose Blossoms.

The rose was the secondary theme. "The rose is a common link with England and Texas. When the coronation of the Queen was held in 1953, a new rose called Elizabeth II was created," the chef said about Rose Blossoms.

The dessert's centerpiece was pulled-sugar English roses and it was served on a silver platter. "The roses were in the center. Surrounding the roses were 11 individual classic white cakes with seven-minute frosting. On the top of each cake, the frosting was in the shape of a rose (using a special pastry tip) so the whole top of each cake looks like a white rose."

The labor-intensive dessert had three pulled-sugar roses to a platter. Each rose had 70 petals for about 2,000 pulled rose petals, give or take a few. "It was really beautiful," said the chef, who prepared the pulled sugar in the chocolate shop of the White House, where the humidity is controlled.

Toledo native William Yosses, White House executive pastry chef, with a tray of the desserts he created for Monday evening’s State Dinner for Queen Elizabeth II.
( ASSOCIATED PRESS )

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A dessert like that is months in the planning. "We have been working on prototypes," he said. "We work with Mrs. Bush. We make proposals. She streamlines them and comes up with a final menu. She gives us a theme. We come up with proposals, and we've had a lot of fun in the past few months coming up with ideas."

As the testing of recipes unfolds, "we taste here in the shop," says the pastry chef. Also, "we'll serve the dessert for dinner or lunch for President and Mrs. Bush over the last few months."

The executive pastry chef began his day at 6 a.m. and ended it at 10 p.m. that night. He was assisted by 11 pastry chefs. He estimated the main kitchen under White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford had about 14 chefs.

Three different meals were planned for Her Majesty: breakfast, lunch, and dinner, Mr. Yosses said. At the arrival ceremony a receiving line was held at 10 a.m. "We made some breakfast pastries: cherry puffs with puff pastry, classic brioche, and pink grapefruit danish."

Then there was a small family luncheon attended mostly by members of President Bush's family. "The theme for the dessert was 'Spring Garden,' " said Mr. Yosses. He described it as chocolate sorbet in the shape of a garden watering can. It was served with mint granita made by the chef by extracting mint juice. A tart of tangerine marinated in passion fruit juice accompanied the granita.

"The day was a fairy tale," said the executive pastry chef. "It was so wonderful."

After the Queen requested to meet with the staff, "at the end of the dinner and entertainment, we were brought out," he said, noting that the Queen always leaves an event first. With the U.S. Army Chorus with members from all the military services singing "Glory Glory Hallelujah" from "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," "there was a whole line of uniforms. We were standing in the Grand Foyer of the North Portico. Then the Queen walks out. We were all just very happy."

Contact Kathie Smith at food@theblade.com or 419-724-6155.

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